Re: [Phys-l] Climate Change - Is it Controversial?

[chuck britton <britton@ncssm.edu>]

On Mar 10, 2009, at Mar 10(Tue) 9:05 , Robert Carlson wrote:
> It matters to me as to the conservation of carbon on Earth and to  
> how it dances between lifeforms and elemental carbon or other other  
> forms.  If we say the amount of carbon on Earth has stayed fairly  
> constant over the last billion years, then some of this carbon has  
> been in the form of life (L) and some of it has been in the form of  
> nonlife (N).  So, how has this ratio changed over the history of  
> the Earth and is L/N now greater, less than, or equal to previous  
> history?

I'm curious (at least briefly)

Diamond is the archetypical (N) form of carbon? also carbonate minerals?

Coal & oil are the (L) forms? along with currently living stuff

or are we considering Thomas Gold's non-biological oil sources as  
likely? (in spite of the ubiquitous life-form markers?)